gold lie promises
by perfectlyrose
Summary: John Smith was one of Rose Tyler's favorite people in the palace. The princess and the footman were best of friends and there may have been something more brewing but forces conspired to separate them right before Rose's coronation and there's more afoot than first meets the eye and more at stake than broken hearts. (Ten/Rose AU)
1. Chapter 1

birthday present for the lovely Ashley (timelordinvictus on tumblr)

As far as I know this should only have one more part but I'm aware that I have an awful track record at predicting these things.

title is from "Glory and Gore" by Lorde

* * *

John Smith was one of Rose Tyler's favorite people in the palace. He'd been hired as a footman just after her seventeenth birthday and the crown princess had taken an instant liking to the man who always had a smile and a story for her when they crossed paths and treated her like a person instead of a royal. The two of them quickly became friends and would often hole up in an obscure corner of the garden or empty room and talk for hours, forgetting their respective duties and ranks.

By the time Rose turned eighteen everyone in the palace knew they were best friends and the butler had given up and permanently made John's afternoon duties looking after the princess, doing anything she required and accompanying her on any outings. It was a common sight to see them running through the hallways or across the grounds hand in hand. It had raised eyebrows of course, but the rumors died down when it became clear that there wasn't anything improper going on between the footman and the princess. No one could fault the princess for making a friend, even if that friend was a servant.

It was two days before Rose's twenty-first birthday when everything changed.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Rose was pacing the blue sitting room, waiting for John to show up. She still had twenty minutes before the butler released him from his morning duties but she'd been so desperate to escape last minute fittings for her coronation gown that she'd gotten to their meeting place half an hour early.

Her coronation was in two days. Her mum was formally abdicating and handing power over to Rose on her twenty-first birthday. Rose was expecting it. This had been the plan since she was sixteen but that didn't mean she wasn't nervous. The thing was she couldn't tell just anyone that she was scared of becoming the queen, that she was scared she'd mess something up during the coronation. She had to appear to be calm and collected and ready to accept the responsibility of leading the country.

She _was_ ready, she was just nervous and John always knew how to calm her down after listening to her fears. She needed her best friend to remind her that she was more than her title and more than ready to take the throne because of that.

Rose started to get worried when John was a full thirty minutes late. Normally he made it to their rendezvous a few minutes before she did and was almost never more than a few minutes late.

She waited another fifteen minutes and then went looking for him. Rose checked all of their normal haunts first. The library, their almost forgotten corner of the garden, the room in the East Wing that was inexplicably full of stools, and a final check of the blue sitting room all turned up nothing and Rose was forced to seek out the butler to ask where John was.

She had never been particularly fond of Wilson, the butler, but it couldn't be denied that he did his job well. Rose found him in his office and knocked quietly on the doorframe to announce her presence when she saw he was busy with the account books.

As soon as he looked up and saw who it was he scrambled to his feet to bow deeply while Rose suppressed a sigh.

"Your Highness. How may I be of service?"

"I'm looking for John. Do you happen to know where he is?" She watched as a look of discomfort crossed Wilson's face before he composed himself.

"I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this, Your Highness, but Mr. Smith was dismissed last night and immediately escorted off the grounds after being accused of stealing."

Rose couldn't hide her shock. "No, John wouldn't steal. You must be mistaken."

"The items he was accused of taking were found in his quarters, Your Highness. I am sorry, I know you were close to him but there was no mistake and protocol was followed to the letter." Wilson's face softened as he saw the disbelief on the princess's face. "He was not the man any of us thought he was and it's better we found out now rather than later."

"Yes, of course," Rose said, slipping into her unflappable royal persona to hide her turmoil. She couldn't afford to let people see cracks in the façade. "Thank you, Wilson. I'm sure you did what you thought was best."

She walked away feeling like there was a void opening up inside of her. John wouldn't really leave without saying goodbye, would he? She guessed there hadn't really been a chance for him to do so if he'd been escorted away but…nothing about this felt right.

Rose pressed her lips into a hard line, determined to fix this somehow, get to the bottom of it all, because she _knew_ John wouldn't steal anything. She just needed a chance to talk to him. She changed course, heading towards the office of her chief guardsman. Hopefully he could spare some men to go find John and bring him back to the palace.

At the very least she needed to say goodbye.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Rose received word that John had been found five days after her coronation, an event that had seemed hollow and lonely without a certain pair of brown eyes to seek out in the crowd or a certain hand to pull her out to the garden when the party threatened to be too much for her.

It was the day after she received word that John was finally back in the palace. The guards escorted him to the gold sitting room where Rose was waiting. She dismissed the guards immediately, leaving her and John alone.

As soon as the door closed, John looked up from where he'd been studying the floor, locking eyes with Rose. Their gazes held for a long, charged moment, neither of them moving an inch.

John broke it first, looking away from Rose as he bowed deeply to her, falling into formal behavior that he'd never used with her before, especially if they were alone.

"John," Rose started, voice breaking on the familiar, beloved syllable.

"Your Majesty, please allow me to offer my congratulations on your coronation. The kingdom is lucky to have you." John didn't acknowledge her attempt at speech, pressing on in a voice that seemed hollow. Indeed, it was lacking all of the usual verve and vivacity that colored his normal speech.

"John, I'm still me. Just because I'm the queen now doesn't mean I stopped being Rose. Why-" she stopped, blinking back tears that had formed during his formal address. She needed to get control over herself. "Why are you acting like we're strangers? You're still my best friend and you know I don't believe any of this nonsense about you stealing something."

"Rose," he paused and swallowed hard, eyes flickering to her face briefly before fixing on the curtains behind her. "We _can't_ be friends. You have so much to lose and people didn't like you being so close with a footman when you were a princess and they won't tolerate it now that you're the queen."

He was opening his mouth to continue but Rose cut him off. "I'm the _queen_ , John. I'm allowed to be friends with whoever I choose. It's not anyone's business but my own!"

John's eyes snapped to hers, trying to impress the importance of the situation on her. "Yes it is. There are people who want to make sure you're surrounded by people who will only give you advice and counsel that has been previously approved by a select group. They were afraid you would seek my advice instead and knew they couldn't bribe me to do what they wanted so they framed me for stealing and ran me out in the middle of the night."

"Who is this 'they' you keep talking about?" Rose couldn't hide her growing shock and concern. John was implying that this went far beyond the two of them, that there was a conspiracy of some sort to govern her and her reign.

John just shook his head, unable or unwilling to divulge any more. "We're from two different worlds, Rose. We've pretended for years that that wasn't really the case but the fact remains that you're so far above me and we can't be to-" he stopped, swallowing the end of the word as he looked away from her again, "we can't be friends. It's time to stop pretending and accept reality."

Rose's heart had started beating wildly when John cut himself off. It'd sounded like he was going to say they couldn't be together, together in a way that was more than friends. He'd never expressed a romantic interest in her before. Rather, he hadn't expressed a romantic interest in her that Rose had caught and she'd been paying attention, hoping to see interest on his part.

For her part, she'd been in love with her friend for years and had been devising a way to tell him and to elevate his status so people wouldn't raise eyebrows if they were together. She didn't care about their respective ranks but she knew there were many who would.

Trying to calm herself, Rose answered him. "We've been living in reality. I'm not better than you simply because I was born into a different family and, as far as I'm concerned, anyone who thinks otherwise can sod off."

His eyes shot to hers and she thought she'd finally provoked him to make one of his trademark quips about how she didn't talk like a royal but he remained quiet.

The silence stretched between them, tense and uncomfortable in a way it never had been before. John was torn between wanting to run from this conversation and all its pitfalls and wanting to stay because he thought this might be the last time he'd be able to see Rose, to be able to talk to her.

Rose took a step towards him. "I don't…I can't lose you because of what people might say or think." Words were sticking in her throat and she hoped he understood what she was trying to say. She didn't care what people thought of her friendship with John, or what they may think if she were to enter into a relationship with him. She needed him by her side in whatever capacity she could have him, especially if there was a conspiracy afoot that was threatening her new reign.

"Rose, we _can't_. In a few minutes I'm going to have to walk out that door and we'll go back to our respective lives, just like we're supposed to." He looked straight at her. "Our friendship was never going to last forever, it couldn't. Right now is the easiest time to terminate it so that's what we need to do."

"No, I don't accept that," Rose said stubbornly. John sounded completely set on the course of action he'd just laid out but she knew him, knew all of his tells, and knew that he didn't really want to be saying any of it.

"You have to," he pleaded. "It's what's best for the country, Rose. Trust me."

"Always."

"Then let me walk away. Forget about me."

"You're asking me to do the impossible, John." She closed the distance between them, reaching up to cup his cheek with her hand, making him look at her. "If this is really what you want, I'll let you walk out and I won't look for you."

She moved her hand down to rest over his pounding heart. "For what it's worth, I want you stay. I _really_ want you to stay so we can figure all of this out. But I promise, if you want to leave, if you don't want me, I'll let you go. I will never forget you though, no matter what you choose."

"Rose-" This time it was his voice that broke. The singular syllable told her everything she needed to know—he was still planning on leaving, even if it broke both of their hearts.

Rose took a deep breath, preparing herself and trying to prevent the tears from falling. She had nothing to lose if he was already walking away. Time to put it all on the line. "If you're going to leave, I want you to go with the whole truth, John. I need you to know exactly what you're walking away from. You've been my best friend for years and there weren't many secrets I kept from you but there was one big one."

She chanced a glance at his face and saw his curiosity being aroused before she looked away.

"The truth is that I've been in love with you since I was eighteen. Maybe before that." She felt him stop breathing, her hand still resting on his chest. Rose looked up, needing to know his reaction and allowing him to see the truth of her words shining in her eyes. "I didn't know what to do about it and you never showed any interest in being anything more than friends so I didn't press you. Your friendship means everything to me and I didn't want to lose it but…"

She trailed off, knowing he'd understand that she was finally confessing because she was losing him anyways. The world was a cruel place and love so often a cruel emotion.

There were tears gathering in John's eyes as he gazed down at Rose, mouth slightly open like he was at a loss as to what to say, a rarity for him. Instead of finding words, he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers.

The kiss was soft and sweet and Rose felt a tear escape her because it was everything she'd dreamed their first kiss would be but it didn't feel like a new start.

It felt like goodbye.

John broke the kiss and pulled away from her, taking a step back to put distance between them. "I want to stay, Rose. I do. But I can't. I can't tell you all the reasons why and I've probably already told you more than I should have, more than what is safe. I know you want answers but I can't tell you. We just…we can't be together."

He sounded wrecked, didn't look any better. Before Rose could find her voice to beg him to stay, to argue with him and ask him to explain, he turned and walked out of the room without another word.

Rose could feel the tears sliding down her cheeks and spared a thought to hope the guards wouldn't come back in the room without invitation. She didn't want anyone to see her like this. For them she had to be royal and immovable and right now she was just a woman with a broken heart.

She wasn't giving up though. She was determined that she would see John again. This couldn't be their end. He wasn't walking away by choice and Rose wasn't going to let someone steal happiness and the chance of future joy from either of them. If she thought he didn't want her, she would've honored her promise to not go after him and let him go but this was something else entirely.

His kiss might have felt like goodbye but it had tasted like love and she was in no way willing to let it be their first and last.


	2. Chapter 2

So umm, this is going to be three chapters instead of two because...well because I'm really bad at estimating how long it will take me to tell a given story :) Hope you all enjoy this chapter!

* * *

Rose didn't send anyone after John this time. If he was right about the conspiracy then he would be safer if she pretended he was of no importance while she figured everything out. His words about false advice and counsel were fresh on her mind when she walked into the council chambers for the meeting that was scheduled for that afternoon. She looked over the faces of the people who were supposed to help her run the kingdom and decide what would best benefit her people and realized that she couldn't trust anyone.

She didn't even have her mum to turn to. Jackie was off on what was technically a diplomatic trip to their eastern neighbor but was really her first chance to meet the widowed king there who she'd been corresponding with for years. Rose had seen her face as she read those letters and would be surprised if she came back without being engaged. Unless she got desperate there was no way she would intrude on her mum's chance at a new lease on love.

Rose let things play out for a month and a half. She noted who offered advice most often and who agreed with who and then as soon as she was out of meetings she went to go talk to the maids and the gardeners and the hostlers to seek the opinions of the people who would be affected most by her decisions. She figured that no one had the financial backing to bribe the entire staff of the palace.

When she felt she had enough information gathered she sequestered herself away in the room full of stools where no one would think to look for her to think over everything. The room itself felt haunted by John's memory but it just made Rose feel closer to her missing beloved as she wasn't sure it was possible for her to miss him any more than she already did.

The information and impressions she'd gained since his departure indicated that she, and the entire country really, owed John a huge debt of gratitude. The advice her council gave her at their meetings always went against the intelligence she received from the everyday people in the palace. The council was pushing policies that would be immensely unpopular if implemented and would give the people the impression that their queen did not care about their wellbeing or their opinions.

At the beginning there had been some members on the council that gave sound advice but one by one they had fallen in line with the general consensus being offered. Whoever was behind this whole plot had managed to bribe or threaten ever single member of her council until they were all giving her bad information and advice.

Rose paced the room. She knew the conspiracy was real and that it was a legitimate threat to the country and to herself. She didn't know who was behind it all though and that's what she needed in order to make a move that would dismantle the whole thing at once. It wouldn't do her any good to take down the individual pawns. She needed the one who was moving them around the board, the one who was pretending to have the power of a queen.

They might consider her an easy target since she had just assumed power, Rose mused. She was young and blonde and someone was assuming that she was nothing more than a pretty face, a sheep that could be easily led and lied to as long as it was fed compliments and platitudes.

The real queen bared her teeth in the empty room as she thought about her faceless opponent. What they didn't realize, wouldn't realize until it was too late, was that she was no sheep. Her ancestors had chosen the wolf to grace their family crest, hoping to emulate the predatory canine and adopt its characteristics. Rose had embraced that legacy fully her entire life and by the time her adversary realized that there was a wolf underneath the sheepskin Rose wanted to have the taste of blood in her mouth and the thrill of a kill running through her veins.

Metaphorically of course, she thought with a grim twist of her lips. Her warrior ancestors might have been able to murder their enemies but she was going to expose the evil that someone was attempting to plant at the heart of the country and make sure whoever responsible was brought to justice.

She wasn't going to stand for anyone threatening her kingdom and her people and trying to dictate the course of her life. This was going to end and it was going to end soon.

She needed some help if she was going to find the person at the center of the conspiracy, though. Luckily, she knew just the person to ask.

Mind made up, Rose took a deep breath and cleared her face of emotion before striding from the room. She had a letter to write and time was of the essence. Hopefully someone would be able to find wherever John had disappeared to so her letter could be delivered.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

It had been a week since Rose had sent a messenger who she was certain had not been affected by the plot against her away with her urgent letter to John. She hadn't known an exact direction to send the messenger in as John hadn't told her where he was heading when he left the palace but she had a good idea.

He'd often talked about his desire to see the mountains that were at the northern border of the kingdom and she assumed that he would head in that direction first now that he had the time and freedom to see them. The border was a three day's ride from the palace with a good horse so Rose was everyday expecting to hear back from her messenger.

She hoped with all she had that John was easily and quickly found and that her letter would convince him to return. There was a definite possibility that his desire to keep her safe would override her request though, especially if he still thought that staying away was the best way he could protect her and protect the country.

Rose needed him by her side so they could save the kingdom from the grasping clutches of the people behind the conspiracy, from those who only wanted power and cared nothing about the citizens Rose loved had spent her life learning to serve. She didn't know what she would do if John refused to come and tried not to think about it but with every day that passed she grew more anxious.

Five more days passed before a message arrived from the north marked with the greatest urgency and for the queen's eyes only. Rose immediately excused herself from the conversation she was having with one of her council members and closed herself in her study, blood pounding in her ears as she eyed the paper. It held the power to crush the heart she'd carefully stitched back together after John had left or to confirm that she had been right to hope for these past weeks.

Her hands shook as she carefully broke the seal and pulled a single sheet of paper from inside the envelope. The message it contained was short but Rose's breath caught in her throat as she recognized John's handwriting.

 _Rose,_

 _I still hold the same fears as the last time we spoke but you have to know that I could never refuse you help if you asked. As always, your wish is my command. I will come as fast as I am able._

 _Look for me in our spot in the garden an hour after midnight — I think it best if no one knows that I've returned to the palace._

 _Yours,_

 _John_

Rose couldn't contain her smile. The worry and fear from her situation still pressed in on her but in that moment in her study with John's words in her hands it all seemed alright. Together they would be able to figure out this whole conspiracy mess, she knew it.

She read over the missive a few more times, committing the words to memory and tracing her fingers over his closing. The single word above his signature gave her an entirely different kind of hope, one that made her heart sing with joy at their imminent reunion and what it might mean for them, independent of the troubles facing the country.

Smile still tugging her lips upward, Rose tossed the letter onto the fire and watched until it was completely turned to ash. John would be back in the palace, back within reach, soon. She'd begin her vigil in the garden that night even though she knew it would likely be at least a day more before he would return.

When Rose returned to the council member she had been speaking to, she noted that the queen was much cheerier than when she had left. In fact, she was cheerier than she had been since her coronation. The change wasn't drastic enough to raise much suspicion but Lady Isobel felt it was her duty to report it anyways. She loved her queen and it pained her greatly to betray her trust but the people who were blackmailing her were powerful and unforgiving and she had her family to think of.

Isobel could only hope that the queen would forgive her for her transgressions when they came to light and that Rose would discover the darkness growing in the heart of her government before it overwhelmed everything.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Rose paced the short distance between hedges in the corner of the garden she and John had always considered theirs. She'd worn a path in the grasses over the past two nights as she anxiously awaited John's arrival. She was trying not to worry but it was impossible.

The council had started to push her for decisions on issues she'd pushed aside as she tried to conceal that she knew of the conspiracy. She couldn't stall for much longer. The conspiracy needed to be dismantled and Rose needed John and his information for that and he should be here by now.

Rose sighed and reached up to tangle her fingers in her hair before remembering she wore a hood to conceal her presence and identity. She clenched her hand into a fist, ragged nails biting into her palm as she let her hand drop to her side.

She was about to resume her pacing when she heard the slightest rustle of cloth, one that she knew didn't come from her own garments. Her head snapped up, eyes immediately searching the darkness closest to the path.

It was less than a second before a figure rounded the corner into view. He stopped in his tracks when he saw Rose and she could feel her heart stop its beating for a moment before resuming in double time.

John stayed frozen in place, drinking in the sight of her even though she was shrouded in her hood. He hadn't thought he'd ever see her again and her heart certainly wasn't the only one that was racing at this clandestine reunion.

Unsure of his welcome or what she would expect, John smiled at her from where he stood. Rose watched the expression bloom, equal parts nerves and uncertainty and joy and completely lacking his normal confidence but not lacking at all in love.

She couldn't let the few meters of garden path left between them remain a barrier for any longer. Uncaring of how it might look, Rose ran towards John with a grin on her face. She needed to feel him in her arms, be assured that he was really back.

Rose barreled into him, knocking him back a step as she wrapped her arms around him. John wasted no time in enfolding her in his embrace as he buried his face in her shoulder, breathing in her scent of cherries and vanilla and tea and feeling more at home than he had since he had walked out of the palace and out of Rose's life. He had no particular attachment to the building, grand though it was, but he'd discovered when he had left that home could be a person and that leaving that person behind, even if it was for the good of a country, could cause a black hole to open up where the heart should reside.

Now it felt like the endless void had closed and he had the thought that he never wanted to let go of Rose ever again.

Rose was feeling the same way. Her worries and fears had melted away as soon as John put his arms around her. She could cope on her own but she was a better version of herself when he was around, she thought. Her life was filled with tough choices and impossible decisions and it was definitely better with two. She had chosen John as her partner long ago and as she clung to him tighter she hoped that he would stay this time.

She had missed her best friend more than anything in the world these past weeks and if his friendship was all he was willing to offer her, Rose would grab onto it with both hands and not push him for more as long as he stayed.

After a few more moments, Rose reluctantly pulled back from their embrace enough to look up at his face, taking in his expressive brown eyes and the circles underneath them that told tales of his exhaustion and the gentle smile that graced his mouth.

"I missed you," she whispered, speaking to him for the first time since he had appeared in the garden.

"Oh, me too, Rose Tyler. More than you know," answered John earnestly.

They were smiling at each other, still wrapped up in each other's arms with the quiet of the night surrounding them. John couldn't resist leaning down and pressing his lips to hers, giving her a kiss full of joy and welcome and home instead of one to say goodbye.

He wasn't always the best with the words that mattered, the ones that hung heavy with emotion, but he could show her how he felt, could pour everything he couldn't say into a kiss, into the play of lips and tongues and teeth.

The stars were the only witnesses to the two lovers as they welcomed each other home and worked to put the memory of their first kiss that had been tainted with sadness behind them by discovering the exhilaration of kisses that tasted like love and fire and felt like hello.


	3. Chapter 3

And finally the happy ending that was requested and that every fairytale AU needs :))

* * *

It was a number of minutes before they were able to pull themselves away from each other. Smiling up at him, Rose took his hand and led him towards the palace. They used the same passages that they had in days past to avoid nobility and servants alike until they reached one of the spare bedchambers.

"Nobody should be using or cleaning this room for at least a few days," Rose said, breaking the slightly awkward silence that had fallen.

"Do you want to talk about things tonight or wait until tomorrow?" John asked. "Your letter made it sound like time was running short.

Rose was keyed up on adrenaline from seeing John and finally, finally kissing him like she'd always dreamed about but as she studied his face she saw exhaustion written into the tense lines on his face and the shadows under his eyes. He'd had to travel fast to reach her this quickly and he deserved rest before she burdened him further.

"I can't stall the council for too much longer but it can wait until morning when you've gotten some sleep," she answered.

"I'd probably argue but the prospect of a real bed is too good to resist," he admitted, smiling at her like he was making a joke.

She couldn't help but smile in return, just glad to have him back, incomprehensible jokes and all.

"I'll come get you at seven, okay? I have a council meeting at ten so that should give us enough time to at least cover the basics, yeah?"

"Sounds good. Now go get some sleep yourself, Your Majesty."

"None of that now. You don't get to start being formal now," Rose said with mock sternness. She continued in her most regal tone. "Besides, I'm the one who's supposed to be able to give orders."

He shot her a mischievous grin, "Can only have one or the other. Either I get to be formal or you get to give me orders."

"Fine, informality it is. It's not like you ever listened to me anyways," Rose said, tucking her tongue between her teeth as she smiled.

"I listen!" John tried to protest, but he was interrupted by his own yawn.

"We can argue about that later. Get some sleep," she gently suggested. She turned to leave the room but her name falling quietly from John's lips stopped her in her tracks.

She turned back to face him, only to find him much closer than he had been.

"Goodnight, Rose," he whispered before cupping her cheek and leaning down to softly kiss her once more.

The kiss was soft and sweet and mostly chaste. When he pulled back and leaned his forehead against hers, Rose knew she had to go right then or she would end up curled up next to John for the night. And, oh, she wanted to sleep wrapped in his arms more than anything else but they had to keep his presence quiet for a while longer.

She whispered her own goodnight and swiftly pressed her lips against his once more before backing away and leaving the room. Soon, she promised herself, soon she wouldn't have to hide and this whole threat would be sorted and she would be able to talk to John about if he even wanted there to be a relationship between the two of them.

As she snuck through the corridors back to her chambers she swore that as soon as they sorted the conspiracy, she would make sure no one would be able to forcibly separate her and John again. As long as he wanted to be with her she wasn't going to hide him or their relationship as if she was ashamed of it, of him, and she desperately didn't want to ever lose her best friend again.

Rose fell into bed, thoughts of John and the future and being free of the tangles of the conspiracy filling her head and putting a small smile on her face as she drifted off.

She sat bolt upright a mere four hours later, drenched in sweat as she shook in the aftermath of a nightmare. It was one she'd been dealing with for the past two weeks. Her crown used as a collar as she was led around by a faceless puppet master, her people starving and her country war-torn and her powerless to do anything, John turning his back on her after giving her a cold glare.

Rose brushed her hair out of her face with a shaking hand and swung her legs over the side of her bed. She knew better than to think she could go back to sleep after that.

Bathing quickly in the cold water that wouldn't be heated until later in the morning, Rose began getting ready for the day. She slipped on a fairly simple dress that required no assistance to put on and would still be acceptable for the council meeting later that day and left her hair loose, figuring she could pull it back before the meeting.

It was still only half five in the morning and she wasn't meeting John until seven so she unlocked her desk and started preparing for her tête-à-tête with John about the conspiracy as well as her council meeting. This was something that was within her control and helped her shake off the dregs of her nightmare. John was back, she was ready to figure out who was behind the plot to destabilize her reign and she wasn't going to let a nightmare drag her down.

At quarter to seven, Rose folded up all of the notes she had made and tucked them into the top of her dress before locking her desk back up and slipping out of her room. Her lady's maid was used to finding Rose gone before she arrived in the mornings so it wouldn't cause any alarm when she was missing.

Rose knocked on John's door five minutes before seven. The door swung open before she finished knocking.

She stared bemusedly at her friend with his rumpled clothes and wild hair. "You didn't even check to make sure it was me and not someone else."

"Who else would be knocking on the door of a supposedly empty bedchamber?" He shot back, bouncing on the balls of his feet, apparently reenergized after a night of sleep. "Are you going to keep standing there where anyone might stumble along or are you going to come in?"

Rose rolled her eyes at him but couldn't suppress a smile as she stepped into the room. "You're awfully chipper this morning," she commented as he shut the door.

"Course I am!" He exclaimed. John opened his mouth like he was going to say more but blushed red instead.

Rose watched curiously as a million thoughts seemed to race through his head in the space of a second before his face cleared and he stepped closer to her and cupped her cheek. Rose's breath caught as he looked down at her like the stars he'd always loved were hanging in her eyes. He leaned down and gently pressed his lips to hers.

He pulled back away after only a couple seconds, not attempting to deepen it. Rose stared up at him, tongue darting out to steal traces of his taste off of her lips. The warmth in his gaze and thrumming through her veins was the exact opposite of her nightmare and she could have kissed him again for giving her exactly what she needed without even consciously knowing something was wrong.

His thumb stroked across her cheek once more before he dropped his hand.

"What was that for?" She asked, still wanting to know what he'd been thinking in that moment before he decided to kiss her.

"Because I finally can," he said simply.

He put on one of his manic grins after that proclamation and darted over to the bed, sitting on it with a bounce. "Come on then, princess, oh, sorry, _queen_. That really doesn't have the same ring to it does it? Doesn't feel quite right on the tongue." He shook his head and smacked his tongue against the back of his teeth. "Anyways, let's get started with whatever it is you want to discuss that's apparently urgent."

Rose followed him and hopped up on the bed to sit as well. "You know exactly what I want to talk about. It's the reason you got run out in the first place. I've had enough of this bloody conspiracy and I need your help to figure out how to dismantle the whole thing."

John's face turned stony. "I told you it wasn't safe to look into that, Rose. It's why I left without a fight!"

Rose snorted. "You think I was just gonna sit around and let someone else make my decisions for me? That I was going to let someone figure in the shadows tell me how to run this country? They've been feeding me bad information, John. Whoever is pulling the strings has gotten to every single one of my council members and I've been avoiding making decisions because if I go against the extremely bad advice they're all giving me, they'll know I know about the conspiracy. I want to have everything read to capture whoever's in charge before they know I know."

John studied her face, taking in her eyes snapping with gold fire and the half formed snarl on her lips as she defended her title and her country and her actions and had to let out a little laugh. "Should've known you wouldn't let it be. Too stubborn."

"Does that mean you're going to stop complaining about me being in danger and help me?"

John ran his hand down his face. "I'm not going to stop worrying about you, Rose. When they figured out they couldn't bribe me to betray you they threatened to kill you if I didn't leave quietly without giving you any indication as to why."

Rose scooted closer to him, reaching out to put her hand on his knee. "I'm always going to be in danger, John. It comes with the territory of being the queen or even the crown princess. There have been attempts on my life and foiled plots to take my crown from me. It's something I've learned to live with."

"I just want you to be safe."

"Then help me get rid of this conspiracy. If I let it go on much longer people will think I'm a weak monarch with only a tenuous grip on the throne and there will be more attempts to dethrone me."

John let out a long sigh. "Okay, catch me up on what's happened since I left so I know what all you already have figured out."

Rose pulled the notes that she'd written that morning out of the bosom of her dress, watching with interest as John's eyes dropped down to watch the motions before shooting back up as his face turned red.

She kept quiet, figuring she could tease him later, and spread the notes pertaining to the conspiracy out on the bit of bed between them. She started outlining how she'd noticed the opinions of her councillors changing over time until everyone was in agreement on every issue and how she figured some of them had been blackmailed like he had instead of bribed. She told him of how she'd found ways of talking to people outside of court influence in order to hear other opinions. and how the opinions of these people always were directly opposite to what her council was telling her to do.

"They're starting to push me for decisions and I can't stall them for any longer. That's why I needed you here as fast as you could come," she finished.

John had listened in silence, a rarity for him, and now seemed to be deep in thought as he looked over the notes she'd made.

"Whoever is doing this has an enormous amount of power and money," he mused. "The sum they offered me was not insubstantial and they probably bribed the nobles with even more."

"That narrows it down to a noble being behind all of this but I'd already figured that," Rose commented. "I'm pretty sure it's not anyone actually on the council, which, again, doesn't narrow it down much."

"It helps though. We're looking for someone who wants power, who is ambitious. Someone who has the money and position to control people who would normally not turn against you. Also someone who probably doesn't like you or Jackie and hasn't done a very good job at hiding it. Probably is barely polite while making it clear they don't want to be." He stopped mid-ramble, looking at Rose. "Ringing any bells yet?"

Rose turned over his description in her head, comparing it to a mental list of the members of the nobility who were often at court. She dismissed a handful of resentful nobles who weren't intelligent enough to pull off a scheme of this size and complexity before hitting upon a name the made her sit bolt upright.

"Got it?" John asked excitedly.

"Think so, yeah. Yvonne Hartman, Duchess of Torchwood."

John sucked in a breath. "Yeah, she's a piece of work, that one."

"She never liked mum and was always one of the most vocal opponents of us being friends when people complained about it way back when. And she's made it very clear that she thinks I'm too young and inexperienced to be in charge of the country. She also tried to get on the council when that spot opened up right before mum stepped down and is probably bitter that the seat was given to Lady Isobel instead," Rose said, working through the logical train of thought as she spoke. "And she's always been ambitious and hasn't worried about anyone she's stepped on as she tries to accumulate as much power as possible."

"And she's clever enough to remain in the shadows while chipping away at your power."

"I'm not going to let her get away with this. I need proof that she has been bribing and blackmailing people and I need to have the trap sprung before she even sees it's a trap."

"Let's figure out a way to make sure that happens then," John said with a smile, reaching out to squeeze her hand.

They spent the next hour and a half designing the trap that Rose could spring in her closed council meeting where most of Yvonne's rats would be trapped in a room with her and unable to communicate with their puppetmaster.

Rose also wrote an official warrant for the Duchess of Torchwood to be arrested on suspicion of treason. She sealed it with the wax in the room and pressed her signet ring into the malleable material to make it official. John would deliver the wolf-marked warrant to the chief guardsman so they could arrest the duchess while Rose was still in chambers with the council.

Too soon it was time for them to put their plan into action. They shared a lingering kiss at the doorway and wished each other luck before parting ways to opposite areas of the palace.

Rose was about to enter the council chambers when Lady Isobel hurried up to her and pulled her aside before Rose could step inside.

"Your majesty, there is something I must tell you before you can make the decisions the council is going to push for today," she whispered urgently, panicked expression on her face.

Rose studied her for a moment before smiling gently and laying a hand on the woman's arm. "Lady Isobel, if you're trying to warn me about the conspiracy that's been affecting this council since before I took the throne, I already know."

Isobel paled and started babbling. "I'm sorry your majesty, I didn't want to do it. I turned down the money but they threatened my family and I couldn't put them at risk."

"I understand and it counts for a lot with me that you were going to warn me even with those threats being present," Rose soothed. "It all ends today though. I need you to go in and pretend like everything is normal, alright?"

Isobel curtsied and hurried away. Rose waited a few seconds before following. As soon as the doors of the chamber closed behind her she let a small smile cross her face. She knew John would make sure his end of things went according to plan so she could concentrate fully on gathering the evidence she needed from the members of her council. Things were about to get very interesting and her councillors were about to discover that their queen was as much as a wolf as the one on her signet.

Two hours later when the council doors opened once more, Rose strode out and told the guards outside to keep everyone inside until she gave orders otherwise. In hand she had multiple confessions of taking bribes and reports of blackmail executed by the Duchess of Torchwood. Not everyone had known who was behind the conspiracy but enough of them did that Rose had solid evidence.

She quickly made her way to the chief guardsman's office, knowing as soon as she was within earshot that he and John had succeeded in their aims. She was surprised she couldn't hear the complaints Yvonne was making all the way on the other side of the palace.

To her credit, the duchess did not pale when Rose entered the room radiating confidence and authority. She didn't waver even when Rose laid out the damning evidence against her, claiming that she had done what she thought was right.

Rose shook her head in barely contained disgust. This woman had almost sent the country into a downward spiral that would have taken decades to recover from and she didn't care at all.

John followed her out of the office after she gave explicit orders to officially arrest and incarcerate Yvonne Hartman, soon to be former Duchess of Torchwood, on the count of treason. As soon as they were out of sight of the guards he stopped her with a hand on her arm and pulled her into a hug.

She was stiff for a fraction of a second before collapsing against him, taking comfort in his solid strength.

"You did it, Rose. Just like you said you would. Brilliant, you are!" John praised softly as he ran his hand up and down her spine.

"It's not over yet," she whispered. "I have to appoint a new council almost from scratch and figure out who else was in her thrall. I have to formally strip her of her title and lands and bestow them on someone else. It's never going to be over, John. Someone's always going to be trying to take my crown and hurt my people."

John pulled back and put a finger under her chin, pressing gently so she was looking him in the face. "Hey, is this the same girl who was snapping at me this morning, telling me that danger and duty came with the territory? You were born for this Rose and no one could handle this as brilliantly as you have. People are going to realize that you're the exact monarch this country deserves and needs and that you may be named after a flower, but you have thorns."

Rose groaned. "You playing at being a poet now, John?"

"Might as well," he said with a bright smile, "don't have a job right now and I've always liked words."

"I've noticed," she retorted, taking his hand as she stepped out of his embrace.

They walked in silence for a minute, vaguely heading in the direction of the council chambers so Rose could finish dealing with the people there waiting for her judgement.

"What _are_ you going to do now?" Rose asked, unable to restrain herself from asking any longer.

"Oh you know, same old life. Probably going to try to sweet talk the butler into giving me my job back," he answered jovially, swinging their joined hands.

"So you're going to stay, yeah?" Rose knew she sounded unsure and vulnerable but she was past caring.

"Of course I am! Nowhere else I'd rather be, Rose Tyler. You're here after all."

Rose pulled him to a stop. "Don't ask for your job back, John." She hurried on when a hurt look appeared on his face. "I need someone by my side, someone to hold my hand, while I sort through all the messes this conspiracy has caused and any other messes that come along. I need you."

Rose watched a smile dawn on his face, more gorgeous than any she'd ever seen paint the sky.

"You sound like you're asking me to marry you, princess."

"Maybe I am," she shot back, completely unopposed to the idea. "I've been in love with you for years and plan on spending forever with you anyways. Might as well scandalize the court early on in my reign by marrying a former footman."

"Well then, I accept your very generous proposal," he said, voice dropping as he leaned in to capture her lips, sealing their promise of forever with a kiss.

They broke away after a few moments and continued their walk down the hall, both grinning.

"Does this mean I get a title?" He asked teasingly.

"Mmm, suppose Prince Consort would work," she answered.

"Ooh, much loftier than a footman."

"You were rubbish as a footman anyways. Always skiving off to come get into trouble with me."

"I never heard you complaining about it," John answered with a laugh, not disputing her other claims.

"Never will," Rose answered, smiling up at him. She already felt less overwhelmed about the current situation facing her and was certain that with his hand in hers she would be able to handle whatever else her reign had to throw at her.


End file.
